Filling very small gaps - caulk, trim, nothing?
#10
My oldest daughter has been out of her crib for months and the youngest is too small for a crib, but I will be setting it up again in her room soon.

I built the crib three years ago from "family" wood, which meant some otherwise beautiful bubinga and bloodwood that was in my wife's grandfather's basement for 30 years. It wasn't at all straight, and I tried to joint one piece of bubinga down before realizing I'd be losing way too much. In the end, I used it as is, and it came out *almost* perfect.

I noticed today that in certain places where the wood is joined (I used almost nothing but loose tenons) there are gaps. You have to have your eyes at the perfect level to see them, but there are a few gaps that might be 1/64" or so. That sounds ridiculously small (and it is) but they are there. Now, because I intend to use the crib as a full-size bed when the youngest is grown, I do want to fix this. The question is, how? I could probably try forcing in some brown caulk from the back, which might work. I could also rip a thin piece of wood (whatever, really, since it's the back of what will be the headboard) and cover it up. The third option is to do nothing and let it be as is.

I finished the piece originally with danish oil and it held up wonderfully with two years of the oldest, who admittedly wasn't destructive. As it's finished I can't use any filler, and the nature of the joint (think the inside corners of an I-beam) is such that options are limited. Covering it up (with a thin strip from behind) would prevent seeing light behind, and while you might notice a tiny gap it just looks like a black line without light coming in from behind.

Thoughts?
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#11
Don’t change anything.
Gary

Please don’t quote the trolls.
Liberty, Freedom and Individual Responsibility
Say what you'll do and do what you say.
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#12
(02-18-2019, 09:57 PM)FS7 Wrote: My oldest daughter has been out of her crib for months and the youngest is too small for a crib, but I will be setting it up again in her room soon.

I built the crib three years ago from "family" wood, which meant some otherwise beautiful bubinga and bloodwood that was in my wife's grandfather's basement for 30 years. It wasn't at all straight, and I tried to joint one piece of bubinga down before realizing I'd be losing way too much. In the end, I used it as is, and it came out *almost* perfect.

I noticed today that in certain places where the wood is joined (I used almost nothing but loose tenons) there are gaps. You have to have your eyes at the perfect level to see them, but there are a few gaps that might be 1/64" or so. That sounds ridiculously small (and it is) but they are there. Now, because I intend to use the crib as a full-size bed when the youngest is grown, I do want to fix this. The question is, how? I could probably try forcing in some brown caulk from the back, which might work. I could also rip a thin piece of wood (whatever, really, since it's the back of what will be the headboard) and cover it up. The third option is to do nothing and let it be as is.

I finished the piece originally with danish oil and it held up wonderfully with two years of the oldest, who admittedly wasn't destructive. As it's finished I can't use any filler, and the nature of the joint (think the inside corners of an I-beam) is such that options are limited. Covering it up (with a thin strip from behind) would prevent seeing light behind, and while you might notice a tiny gap it just looks like a black line without light coming in from behind.

Thoughts?

I had to laugh as I read your post . 12 years ago I built a fancy cradle from cherry for my granddaughter. The top of the cradle had an arched top I made from several pieces. Just before the baby was born I brought the cradle over to my sons home. I noticed that there was a slight gap in the top ,1/32" or less. I decided to leave it alone .
Glad I did, nobody seemed to notice but me.

mike
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#13
Heavy, thick slurry of wood dust from the sanding bag, mixed with titebond wood glue usually works for me.
Steve

Missouri






 
The Revos apparently are designed to clamp railroad ties and pull together horrifically prepared joints
WaterlooMark 02/9/2020








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#14
Leave as is. It will become an heirloom. Real heirlooms are not perfect—they are made by someone's imperfect but loving hands.
Carolyn

Trip Blog for Twelve Countries:   [url=http://www.woodworkingtraveler.wordpress.com[/url]

"It's good to know, but it's better to understand."  Auze Jackson
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#15
I too lean toward leaving it alone. However, if you are really really bothered by it you can take advantage of the fact that the finish is danish oil. This finish needs to be refreshed from time to time. Before it is time for your new baby to use it, apply another coat of the danish oil and vigorously sand it in using 300-400 grit wet/dry paper working up a slurry of sanding dust and oil. Let this oil slurry get worked into the openings and be careful not to wipe it out when you wipe off the excess. Let it dry and put it to use. No one but you will ever know the openings are there.
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#16
If the joint has glue failure and is loose you can decide upon the right method for the repair. If the joint is tight but the parts have shrunk or their was a misfit on original glue up, it is what it is. Was it ever right? How long have you noticed the open joint? Possibly monkeying with it could make it worse?
Any free advice given is worth double price paid.
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#17
(02-19-2019, 06:10 AM)Gary G™ Wrote: Don’t change anything.

Yup.  Who's gonna care? I know she won't.

Besides who's going to examine the crib besides you?
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#18
(02-25-2019, 09:59 AM)rwe2156 Wrote: Yup.  Who's gonna care? I know she won't.

Besides who's going to examine the crib besides you?

I doubt either of them will ever care. At this point I'm going to leave it it alone. There are other minor things like that elsewhere on the piece that I have noticed before. There are very few screws on it, yet one went in crooked and blew out the back on one part. I cut a small "plaque" out of bubinga, covered it, and signed it with a paint Sharpie. Danish oil will take that right off, so at that point maybe I'll burn it in. I broke a screw assembling it the first time, and while I got it out there is some damage to the wood where I had to basically unscrew an entire side panel by rotating it. The broken end of the screw gouged the wood. Fine now, but I will either drill that out and plug it or cover it with trim when it becomes a bed. I rounded off one corner that wasn't supposed to be rounded off. There are other gaps similar to what I described, and I am fairly certain it's because I left some dust or chips in the loose tenon slots. It could be because the wood wasn't perfectly flat. Either way, it's very solid, just just not perfectly flush.

I'll go with MsNomer's statement that it will become an heirloom, flaws and all. It looks great in pictures and should last a good long time.
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